KAMSC FAQsWhat is the role of the KAMSC Student Advocate?I support students during their KAMSC experience. What this looks like so far: holding career seminars with every grade; meeting with students and parents for college, academic and social advice; networking with college representatives; monitoring student achievement; and facilitating communication with staff, parents and community.How can I find help with my classwork?First stop: ask your teacher. Your teachers want you to succeed and may have the best ideas for what can help you. Make coming to open lab to meet with teachers and study groups a habit. Contact me if you are interested in working with a tutor or want to talk about how to make your study habits more effective.What are the Michigan graduation requirements? Go to www.michigan.gov/mde for current requirements. Most KAMSC students will easily fulfill these requirements. If a student cannot take a PE/Health or Fine Arts class because of a scheduling problem he or she needs to contact his or her home school counselor to request a Personal Curriculum Modification.

What factors are most important for college admittance?As a general rule, your grade point average (GPA) and the rigor of your classes are the most important factors. Colleges also focus on test scores and your activities during high school.Colleges like to see students stretching themselves and taking AP and Honors courses, but somestudents can’t pull off As and Bs in these more difficult courses. At what point is any possible “positive” to stretching counterbalanced by the fact that a student may get lower grades?Selective colleges do like to see students taking the most challenging curriculum available to them. However, C grades can raise red flags that a student has not mastered the course content. Like college, high school courses can be about finding a good fit for individual students.

What role does the KAMSC Student Advocate play in college planning and admissions?Hold seminars with each class to discuss college preparation, career planning and the KAMSC Career Paper (grades 9-11).Interview each senior in the fall and spring to discuss college application plans. Follow-up with each senior as needed (for this to work seniors update their status in the KAMSC database).Network with college admissions representatives (College Night, conferences, visits, personal contacts).

How does the Student Advocate role differ from the role of the sending high school counselor in college applications?My role complements the sending school counselor. Sending school counselors sometimes have very large caseloads and may not be able to spend as much time on college advising, I can focus on programs that are of high interest to KAMSC students. Students must request recommendations and transcripts from their sending school counselor.

Will my KAMSC grades be weighted?KAMSC teachers grade you on a 4.0 scale. Any weighting is up to your home school. Each home school has a different policy about whether it weights grades and which KAMSC classes it weights. Check with your home school guidance office for more information. Keep in mind that many colleges will recalculate your GPA using their own formula.Should I take the SAT as well as the ACT?Most students in Michigan take the ACT. These days colleges across the country generally view both tests equally. The tests do have differences, though, so a student may score better on one than the other. Also, some more selective colleges require two additional SAT subject tests or require an ACT with writing. You need to check the college's admissions website. These links might be helpful with testing decisions: http://www.princetonreview.com/sat-act.aspx or http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/04/education/edlife/guidance.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0When should I take a SAT subject test?If you are considering a college that considers or requires SAT subject tests, the best time to take the test is right after you have completed a course and feel confident in that class. For example, you can take the SAT biology test in June after ninth grade biology. You could take the SAT Math level 1 test after KAMSC Math 1 and the SAT Math level 2 test after KAMSC Math 3. Collegeboard.org has content overviews and practice questions for these tests.

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